Medical mission, Burkina Faso, Africa

“If I can touch the life of any one person… Mission Accomplished.” —Corina, RN

Those words truly capture how I felt going into my first medical mission. I did not know what to expect. I did not know what we would encounter, how people would receive me, or whether I would really do any good. Ultimately, I had no idea how much this experience would change me and life as I knew it.

Forever, I would see the world with new eyes. Honestly, I am not sure how to put my experience in Burkina Faso into words. Unless you experience poverty on this level first hand, there really are no words for the emotions you feel and the memories you never forget.

Picture Burkina Faso, West Africa, in October 2011. The climate was VERY HOT and HUMID! One of my best friends is also an RN. Together, we were about to embark on a medical mission, and we could not wait to get started at the Village of Hope.

Careforce International, founded in 1994, is a Canadian-based organization. It works with partners in Kenya, Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, and Canada. Their goal is to educate children who suffer from poverty, despair, and hunger, and in turn to bring about change. We joined the medical mission team, which only takes place once a year in Burkina Faso.

Arriving at the Village of Hope

The staff at the Village of Hope were truly incredible. Pastor Michel and Lydia Ouedraogo founded the Village of Hope. They are angels, along with the entire staff. In fact, everyone was so warm, friendly, and helpful. They went above and beyond to make our experience enjoyable. The women in the kitchen also made us the best meals. We were always impressed and excited to see what they had prepared.

About 455 children live at the Village of Hope. Normally, they would not have had an opportunity for education. The village has dormitories, school buildings, staff and volunteer housing, showers and bathrooms, a kitchen, a cafeteria, a solar-paneled water well, and a playground. It really is a “Village of Hope” for these children.

The Medical Clinic in Ouagadougou

We worked out of the medical clinic in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. Our medical team included 16 people from different walks of life. Not all of them were medically trained, but they wanted to help and contribute in any way they could.

First, we set up an eye glass clinic and two medical clinics within the facility. A doctor, a nurse practitioner, and three nurses ran the medical clinic. Meanwhile, the rest of the team worked in the eye glass clinic.

A young doctor from Ouagadougou also worked at the medical clinic. I call him this city’s angel doctor. He was intelligent, hard working, sweet, and dedicated to his community. We were all so thankful he was there to help us. He is an amazing man, and that city is so lucky to have him!

On the first day, I worked in the eye clinic. There, I gave patients eye exams and fitted them with glasses based on their results. It was very rewarding to see their faces once they could see. However, the room was extremely hot and had no air conditioning, so I sweated continuously.

Staying happy and positive in that environment is mentally challenging, because the heat leaves you exhausted. Still, I knew I was there for the patients and to help make a change, so that is what I kept my mind focused on.

For the rest of my time, I partnered with a doctor on our team in the medical clinic. We worked there for a few days in Ouagadougou. Our patients had malaria, hypertension (high blood pressure), parasites, HIV, and other illnesses.

Pastor Michel announced at his church service that our team was seeing patients at the clinic. As a result, the turnout was incredible and overwhelming. We could not possibly see everyone, so we had to triage patients by need. It was hard not to treat everyone, but unfortunately there was not enough time.

A Frightening Moment

One day, we were in the middle of seeing patients when a loud boom, like a gunshot, went off. I was startled, nervous, and scared, because I was not sure what was happening. The doctor and I grabbed the important things from the room and bolted out the door. He ran to see what was going on, and I ran outside to find the team.

There was smoke everywhere, and people scattered as fast as they could. It turned out that a fuse box had blown up and caught fire, which created the loud boom. Someone used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out, and we all wore masks during the cleanup. It was a scary moment for all of us, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t a gunshot.

Working in the Ouagadougou clinic was upsetting at times. First of all, so many people arrived, but we had limited time, so we could not help everyone. In addition, we did not have access to the medical care available in the US and Canada, so at times we felt helpless.

Into a Remote Village

Resources were slim. After a few days at the clinic, we decided to work in a remote village about an hour from the city. I thought I had seen poverty and sickness, until we arrived here.

Sadly, the people living here rarely received medical attention. They could not make it to the city, and they lacked transportation or money to treat their illnesses or afford medications. So we set up our clinic in their local church, which was basically a building with windows and no air conditioning. Again, many patients showed up, but once more we had limited time.

The people in this remote area are extremely poor, and many have chronic illnesses. Our resources could not treat some of them, so we had to turn them away, which is an indescribable feeling. After all, looking an ill patient in the eyes, knowing they will probably die and you cannot help, is a tough pill to swallow.

Many of these chronic illnesses would not be chronic in the US or Canada. Therefore, we again had to triage patients and treat them based on need and available resources.

This village moved all of us deeply. As a result, we chose to skip an extra day at the city clinic and return to the village, where we felt our time was better used. A few patients from the village will stay with me forever. I will describe a few of them the best I can.

Patients I Will Never Forget

First, one man in his 60s had a tumor on the left side of his neck the size of a grapefruit. We were all amazed he was still alive and able to breathe. In the US, this situation would obviously require surgery. However, we were in Africa, and this man was poor and could not afford adequate treatment. We were not there to do surgery, so unfortunately we could not help him.

Next, we met twins about one year old, and one of them had malaria. This child was not alert, was weak, had shallow breathing, and was malnourished. In fact, most of the children we treated were malnourished and underweight, so a child who looked eight months old could really be a year old. Therefore, this child needed the hospital right away, and a few of our staff rushed him there to survive the next 24 hours. Luckily, he received the needed medicine and did survive.

Finally, one man in his 80s had hypertension (high blood pressure). His blood pressure was extremely high, and he had taken blood pressure pills throughout his life, but not consistently. He was sweet and charming, yet he never spoke a word, and a caregiver stayed with him the entire time. We fit him with sunglasses because we wanted to do something. However, we decided not to give him a few weeks of blood pressure pills, because that could do more harm than good.

If he did not stay on a regimen after the supply ran out, the pills could pose more risk than benefit to his heart. Because he had more resources than others, having taken these pills before, we advised him to return to his original doctor. This man stood out to me. Although he never spoke a word, I could feel he had lived an intense life.

What This Journey Taught Me

While I was there, I had to accept that we could not help everyone. Still, the ones we could help made it totally worth it. Remarkably, everyone we met wore a smile, no matter what illness they were fighting. Adults and children wanted to shake our hands and were so happy to have us there. The kids also wanted to take photos, and the moment we snapped one, they wanted to see themselves on the camera and laugh.

Shaking hands with the children was extra special. Their faces lit up with joy, and it was amazing! It was as if we gave them hope for their future and inspired them just by being there. In fact, some of my best memories came from free time with the children at the Village of Hope. We played soccer, played on the playground, and handed out “bonbons” (candy). A few of the boys even taught me to play the cajón box drum. The simple things in life.

I can never fully explain the experiences I had in Burkina Faso, in writing or out loud. This journey is so special and close to my heart that I think about it every day. Still, I wanted to share what I could, so that you can see what happens in the world every day, every hour, every minute, every second, while you live your life.

People are struggling just to drink clean water, eat one meal a day, receive an education, breathe clean air, and survive to see the next day. This is not just in Africa; it happens all over the world. Ultimately, I hope my story inspires you to get involved, give back, be thankful for what you have, and open your mind to a bubble bigger than your own.